Netflix leak reveals the Squid Game season 3 release date is sooner than expected

After waiting three years between the first two seasons of Squid Game, we might not have to wait even one full year between Squid Game season 2 and season 3 if the latest reports are accurate.

Squid Game season 2 premiered on Dec. 26, 2024, and posted record numbers for a Netflix show. And now, the Squid Game season 3 release date might only be a few months away after the alleged premiere leaked via Netflix's Korean YouTube Channel, according to a report from Forbes.

Leak suggests Squid Game season 3 is coming in June 2025

If the leaked date is accurate, the Squid Game season 3 release date is scheduled for Friday, June 27, 2025. That's the date that was in the video, and it's a lot sooner than we thought we'd see the new season. In Show Snob's preview of the 13 best Netflix shows coming in 2025, I predicted Squid Game season 3 wouldn't premiere on Netflix until the end of 2025. Well, assuming this leak was accurate, it looks like I was wrong!

We knew that Squid Game season 3 was coming in 2025. Netflix confirmed that information when it announced the season 2 release last fall, but two seasons basically six months apart? I didn't think it would happen!

Unfortunately, Netflix has not officially responded to the leak yet. In the past, we've seen Netflix reach out and confirm dates when there are leaks. Most often, Netflix ignores the leak and lets fans sweat it out for a while until they're ready to drop the casting, renewal, or release date news. Recently, the Outer Banks season 4 release dates leaked via Netflix, and one of the dates turned out to be incorrect. Could that have happened here? It's still unclear what exactly happened, but there are some reasons to believe this could be true.

First of all, June 27 is a Friday, which is typically when we see new seasons of Netflix shows. Lately, Netflix has been rolling out a lot more new shows and seasons on Thursdays, including Squid Game season 2, but we're still seeing a fair number of Friday releases. If the alleged release date was a Monday or Tuesday or something, I'd be a lot more skeptical of the leaked date, honestly.

Still, it's unclear why Netflix would choose to roll out Squid Game season 3 so quickly, but I can't say I'm complaining! Netflix has an embarrassment of riches coming in 2025 with new seasons of Stranger Things, Wednesday, One Piece, and more.

Maybe, based on the production dates, setting, or times of year, it makes a lot more sense to roll out Squid Game season 3 this summer rather than roll out Stranger Things season 5 or Wednesday season 2. Either of those could technically still be released around Squid Game season 3, but those are the three biggest Netflix shows of all time by a considerable margin. It would make a lot more sense to drop, like, one new season per quarter.

Squid Game season 2 and season 3 were filmed back-to-back, and production wrapped mid-2024, which was much earlier than Wednesday, Stranger Things, and One Piece. We didn't see those shows wrap filming on the new seasons until late 2024. So, perhaps, it's just a matter of Squid Game being the one that's ready to go first. We'll just have to wait and see!

Of course, this is good news for Squid Game fans! After that incredible season 2 ending, it's probably best that we don't have a long wait between seasons.

We'll share more news about Squid Game season 3 when we find out!